Keith Grasman

Dr. Grasman studies the effects of environmental pollutants on the health of fish eating birds - gulls, terns and herons of the Great Lakes and loons in the Adirondack Mountains. Funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Academic interests

For 20 years, Dr. Grasman has studied the effects of pollution on Great Lakes colonial waterbirds, focusing on three species: Herring Gulls, Black-Crowned Night Herons and Caspian Terns. By testing these birds, he provides the data needed to guide cleanup efforts and inform government agencies, like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which sponsors his work, of the magnitude of the problem.

Research and scholarship

Effects of pollution on Great Lakes colonial water birds

Performing medical tests on colonies of herring gulls, black-crowned night herons and Caspian terns to see whether pollution is contributing to their health problems and low population numbers.